Volume 62, Number 20    January 30, 2015         

Judith Puchner Breen
Professor Emerita of English Judith Puchner Breen died on Jan. 17 after a long illness. She was born in Milwaukee on March 31, 1935. She received her B.A. from Swarthmore College and her Ph.D. from Cornell University before embarking on a long career teaching English literature, first at Temple University in Philadelphia and then, from 1969 to 2006, at SF State. After retirement she taught college courses at San Quentin prison, where she also headed the Video Literacy Project. She was an avid birder and gardener as well as an essayist.

Breen is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Katharine Breen and Douglas O'Hara of Chicago and Molly Breen and Joshua Poertner of San Francisco; three granddaughters, Elizabeth and Samantha O’Hara and Lorna Lark Poertner; her dear friend and former sister-in-law Peggy Kinney and her husband Ross; and five beloved nieces and nephews, Alex Puchner, Laurie Puchner, Pennie Strebel, Eric Puchner and Brooks Puchner, as well as their partners and children.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Golden Gate Audubon Society or to Project Read of the San Francisco Public Library.

Hector Chan
Hector Chan, a laborer with Facilities & Service Enterprises, passed away on July 2 after a long illness. One of his jobs, changing lights, took him to all parts of campus, where he left an indelible impression with a ready smile and upbeat attitude. He will also be remembered for his tireless efforts on behalf of his fellow employees and his service as representative for Bargaining Unit 5. Chan is survived by his wife Agnes and his two children.

James H. Duggins
Professor Emeritus of Secondary Education James H. Duggins died of heart failure at his home in Rancho Mirage on Dec. 13, one week before his 81st birthday. After serving as a journalist for the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, he worked as a clerk at the Alcatraz Island prison and wrote an account of his experiences -- "The Rock and a Hard Place" -- for the 2007 book "Love, Castro Street."

Duggins earned a B.A. in English in 1960 and an M.A. in speech science in 1964, both from SF State. In 1970, UC Berkeley awarded him a Ph.D. in English education. In 1967, he joined SF State, where he taught until his retirement in 2001. Duggins' many contributions to San Francisco included the "Uncles" oral history project of the GLBT Historical Society, his work to create the Lambda Literary Foundation's Emerging Writers Retreat and funding the organization's Mid-Career Novelist Award, as well as volunteering for San Francisco's Horizons Foundation, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and various organizations in support of gay youth and suicide prevention.

Duggins co-authored "Hooked on Books" and "Teaching Reading for Human Values" and articles for academic journals such as The English Journal, The Journal of Reading and Wilson Library Journal. His novels include "The Power," "Slave Stealer," "The Man without a Conscience" and "The Possession of Sarah Winchester." His latest novel in progress, "It's in the Cards," will be published posthumously.

Duggins is survived by former partner Jonathan Greene and friends throughout California and in Oaxaca, Mexico, where he lived part time.

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Last modified May 6, 2015 by University Communications.